Traditional protective and finish enhancing products, including waxes, sealers, and glazers require time and energy to be manually applied to the surfaces to be coated in order to achieve the desired results. This commonly involves the uniform spreading of the product over the surface by hand with an applicator or towel, or with the assistance of a machine, such as a low or high-speed buffer. Next, the carrier medium (water, petroleum distillates, or blend of the two) is given time to evaporate and deposit the protective and gloss enhancing agents on the surface. Finally, the product is buffed or wiped to remove the residue of excess product, polishing agents and abrasives, and to even out any unevenness of the coating.
These products come in a variety of forms, including paste waxes (hard cake and pre-softened), an array of liquid products including waxes, sealers and glazes, and some spray-and-wipe products. All these products, no matter how advanced require the user to buff or wipe the product after it has been applied.